Plastic composition



Patented Sept. 15 1925. I

UNITED STAT-ES 1,553,820 PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN JLEGEB, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PLASTIC rnonocrs CORPORATION.

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tion.

This application is a continuation in art of my application Serial No. 477,736, iled June 15th, 1921, for a patent on a compound.

My invention concerns a compound or composition of matter which is to be used as a substitute for wood, card board or similar materials and particularly in the manufacture of receptacles of various kinds,-

candy boxes, toys, ornamented plates, plaques and the like and which can be brought into the desired form when in a heated condition by the application of pressure.

My invention furnishes a material which presents many advantages over the materials used heretofore for this purpose, because it is moisture proof, is not subject to shrinkage and is very dense and light at the same' time. Moreover, the material furnished by my invention is characterized by great plasticity so that, when the same is being pressed, all the details of even intri cate designs,'which may be cut into the pressing die are reproduced with great exactness. A. further advantage of my improved composition of matter is that the articles made from it can be produced considerably cheaper than if the were made of wood or similar material. urther advan-- tages of my material will be referred to in the following.

The composition of my com ound is approximately the following, it E stood however that I do not confine myself to the precise proportions of the various ingredients given therein, as it is obvious that the same may be varied within certain limits according to the exact nature of the product which I desire to make, The said composition as given represents a composition which I prefer to use when I desire to obtain a product of medium hardness.

In such case the composition of material is the following: 80 lbs. saw dust, 20 lbs. straw waste, 10 to 15 lbs. cornstarch, 50 lbs. coal ashes, 2 lbs. rosin, lb. lithopone, 10 lbs. chloride of iron, 20 lbs. Water.

a The sawdust mentioned in the above foreing under- 2s, i922. Serial N'o. 532,491.

mula may be obtained from any suitable wood, but I prefer to use sawdust obtained from pine wood, because the said pine wood is tough and flexible, can be obtained cheaply and is very suitable for my purposes. The saw dust may be treated in any suitable manner to render it more flexible and binding without destroying the cellulose and in so doing the articles obtained are much more flexible than when made from the untreated sawdust.

The straw waste is added to my composition in the shape of straw cut up into very short length and I may use for this purpose the straw waste as it appears ordinarily in the market for feeding purposes. The object of using the straw waste is to utilize the elasticity, strength and lightness, the said waste serving in my compound as a sort of what might be called webbing, which elasticallyv supports and holds together my ,compound and at the same time renders the mass lighter in weight, while it also imparts to thesame considerable strength owing to the toughness of the'straw. In place of the straw I mayuse any other material which has similar property, such as sea grass, reeds 'or the like. a

The coal ashes are incorporated into my compound for the purpose of serving as the filling medium which is not expensive and is excellently suited for my purpose. Said coal ashes are used in a finely powdered condition and are preferably passedthrough a sieve of 100 meshes to alinear inch or even finer. It is to be understood that the coal ashes are substantially inert and merely serve as a cheap filler for the composition, and that other fillers may be employed or, where cheapness is not essential, the filler may be omitted entirely.

The cornstarch is added to my compound for the purpose of producing the required evenness and smoothness. of surface, as dis tinguished from the rough surface which otherwise might appear;

The chloride of iron set forth in the abov formula serves as a hardening agent and while I have found the same excellently suited for my purpose I may either wholly or partly replace the same with other material which would perform the samerfunction, such for instance as dextrine or like materials.

The rosin given in the above formula is added for the purpose of providing a material which by its action under the influence of heat will cause my composition of matter to be easily removed from the mold also be replaced 'by other pigments or fillers or omitted entirely.

The ingredients mentioned inthe above formula are thoroughly mixed when in a dry condition and are then introducedinto the above mentioned quantity of water in which the chloride of iron has been previously dissolved. The whole mixture is then again thoroughly stirred. The physical character of the material before the same enters the press is preferably that of a loose powder having just a sufficient amount of moisture to take the impression of the fingers when a-portion of the same is squeezed in the hand. I

The mixture is then introduced in suitable amounts into a die located in the press in such a manner that considerable pressure can be exerted thereon. The said die must be heated uniformly before the material is introduced therein; The temperature to be used depends upon the thickness of the article to be produced and other desired qualities of the same. For example, for cheap articles, such as dolls, Easter rabbits and the like the temperature is suit P ably kept around 200 degrees F., while articles of about 1/ thickness and flat surface, the pressing temperature is suitably kept at 250 degrees F. For thicker walled articles and articles which have ornamented. surfaces, the temperature is suitably kept higher and may go as high as 500 degrees F. It is evident that the temperature cannot be raised so high that the organic constituents of the mixture would be entirely carbonized and destroyed.

The article coming from the die may be directly subjected to any of the usual operations such, as finishing, painting or ornamentingin any desired manner.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A composition of matter adaptedto be molded under heat and pressure comprising sawdust, straw waste, coal ashes, corn starch, chloride of iron, water, rosin and lithopone.

2. A composition of matter adapted to be molded under heat and pressure comprising a body forming ingredient constituted of sawdust, a strengthening ingredient constituted of straw waste, a filling ingredient constituted of coal ash, a. smoothing ingredient constituted of corn starch, a hardening ingredient constituted of iron chloride dissolved in water, rosin and lithopone.

I '3. A composition of matter comprising 80 [parts of sawdust, 20 parts of straw waste,

10 to 15 parts of corn starch, 50 parts of coal ashes, 10 parts of chloride of iron, 20 parts of water, 2 parts of rosin and ,4 part of lithopone.

4. A composition of matter which comprises sawdust, straw waste, corn starch, rosin, and iron chloride, the saw dust predominating in the mixture.

5. A composition of matter which comprises sawdust, straw waste, cornstarch, rosin, iron chloride, and a filler of powdered coal ashes, the saw dust predominating in the 6. A composition of matter which comprises saw dust, coal ashes, a fibrous reinforcing and strengthening material such as straw waste, corn starch, rosin and a quantity of hardening material, the saw dust predominating in the mixture.

7. A composition of matter adapted to be molded under heat and pressure which com prises a body of saw dust, an inert powderedfiller and a fibrous reinforcing material, and quantities of corn starch, rosin and a hardening material.

8. A molded composition of matter which comprises saw dust, a fibrous reinforcing material and quantities of corn starch and a hardening substance comprising a comound of iron. 9. A molded composition of matter which comprises saw dust, coal ashes, a fibrous reinforcing material and quantities of corn starch, and a hardening substance containing a compound of iron.

10. A molded composition of matter which comprises saw .dust, a fibrous reinforcing and strengthening material and quantities of corn starch and a hardening material containing a compound of iron, said saw dust being treated to render it flexible arid binding.

11. A composition of matter which comprises sawdust, a fibrous reinforcing and strengthening material, corn starch, rosin and a small quantity of hardening material, the sawdust predominating in the'mixture.

12. A composition of matter adapted-to be molded under heat and pressure which comprises, a body of sawdust, a fibrous reinforcing material, corn starch, rosin and a hardening material. I r

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my'hand at the borough of Manhattan, city and State of New York, this 24 day of January, 1922.

CHRISTIAN JAEGER. 

